With the NBA Finals looming, the New York Knicks are going back to school.
For the Knicks and 27 of their NBA brothers,the next landmark on the calendar is the NBA Draft in Brooklyn on June 26-27. The draft board is set but nobody expects it to stay that way, especially when it comes to the Knicks’ first-round choices: thanks to an extra pick gleaned from the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks (as the completion of the Kristaps Porzingis trade from 2019), the Knicks currently own the 24th and 25th selections.
But considering the recent lack of young contributions (the Knicks drafted only two players on their current roster), few envision New York using both of those choices three weeks from now. The latest mock draft from ESPN was an exception to that cause, but one curator, Jeremy Woo, hinted that the Knicks are actively shopping at least one trip to the podium.
“The Knicks are understandably looking into trade scenarios involving their two picks in the 20s as they work to prolong their current competitive window,” Woo said.
It’s hardly shocking to see the Knicks work their way out of the draft: they haven’t kept a first-round choice in any of the past two, opting instead to build budgets for free agency pursuits (i.e. Jalen Brunson in 2022) or stockpile future picks to use as trade bait. Fresh off their most successful season in over a decade, speculation over this month’s draft should only intensify over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, Woo sees the Knicks using the two choices on Baylor center Yves Missi and Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek. Missi could win becoming an instant contributor with Isaiah Hartenstein set to hit the free agency market while Kolek is undersized yet an undeniable playmaker.
In addition to their first-round couple, the Knicks also hold the 38th overall pick in the second round.